Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Effective prayer”
Our Bible verse for today: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23-24 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Effective prayer must include confession of sin.”
Nothing will hinder our prayers more than unconfessed sin. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah explained this truth to the Jews in blunt, stark terms in Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen.”
Wow! Unconfessed sin creates a barrier, a wall, between us and God. Unconfessed sin causes God to turn His face from us and refuse to listen. That’s what Isaiah teaches here, and this is not an isolated verse. It’s a truth that’s taught numerous times in the Bible.
The good news is that God wants to hear our prayers and answer them, and He is prepared to forgive our sins if we will just confess them, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say, “We don’t have any sin” we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:9-10
Confession of sin is an essential starting place for effective prayer. The sin issue has to be dealt with first, or there is no effective communication with God because those unconfessed sins create a barrier between us and God. That’s why the Psalms are filled with cries of confession and repentance. In Psalm 139:23-24 David actually invited God to search him in the deepest part of his heart, “Search me, God, and know my heart …”
I sometimes use the acronym “ACTS” to help guide my own times of prayer:
A = Adoration. I begin by thinking about who God is and what He is like. I acknowledge His majesty and His sovereignty, but I also worship Him for his goodness, His mercy, and His grace.
C = Confession. Then I pray David’s prayer from Psalm 139:23-24. I ask the Holy Spirit to search me and reveal to me any unconfessed sin so that I can confess it and be done with it.
T = Thanksgiving. Once I have reestablished in my own mind who God is and I have settled into a spirit of worship, and once I have confessed my sins, I then proceed into a time of thanking God for all He has already done in my life.
S = Supplication. It’s only then that I’m ready to present new requests to Him. But none of this would be possible, or at least not effective, without confession.
Confession clears away the barriers that hinder our relationship with God and it’s only then that we are prepared to engage in effective praying.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 